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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Recenzi naleznete na blogu: http://bookshelf-stories.blogspot.cz/2012/09/recenze-vzpominky-na-zitrek.html
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cecelia Ahern manages to entwine mystery and magic with incredibly relatable, gritty real life, creating an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable balance of genres not usually found. Superbly written.
Another great book from Cecelia Ahern. I love how her stories have a mysterious, fairy take edge. Fantastic characters and great plot. I only wish it didn't feel so "rushed".
The Gothic genre is perfect for YAs ready to move beyond conventional romance or horror-lite; this book is a good example of what I mean. Tamara is, well, rich and spoiled is putting it mildly: there's the mansion, the villa, the chalet, minimal parental supervision blah blah blah. Dad, unfortunately, has lost all the money and decides to take the easy way out (Tamara finds the body).
All this leads Tamara and her mother, nearly catatonic with grief, to a remote village in the middle Ireland to live with her aunt and uncle. They live in the guardhouse of a ruined castle, where Arthur takes care of the grounds. Tamara's bratty behavior is understandable, given that she's grieving and she's been removed from her usual surroundings, although the joy she takes in being a mean girl feels wrong. Her aunt Rosaleen is a cleaning, cooking machine but also a control freak, not wanting Tamara to go anywhere or do anything; uncle Arthur is a laconic gardener. Mom, catatonic before, is now sleeping nearly all the time.
Into all this comes the bookmobile, where Tamara finds Marcus (the driver) and strikes up a friendship, and a strange padlocked book. Sister Ignatius, a nun living with three others in the castle grounds, adds to the mystery by insisting that Tamara is a year older than she is and dropping a few cryptic clues into the conversation. Who lives across the road - is it really Rosaleen's invalid mother? What happened to the castle? Why won't anyone get a real doctor in to take care of Mom? All these questions plague Tamara.
The gothic elements are really kept as a light touch, and the ending feels a little rushed given the earlier pace. Still, this will appeal to romance/suspense lovers.
ARC provided by publisher.
All this leads Tamara and her mother, nearly catatonic with grief, to a remote village in the middle Ireland to live with her aunt and uncle. They live in the guardhouse of a ruined castle, where Arthur takes care of the grounds. Tamara's bratty behavior is understandable, given that she's grieving and she's been removed from her usual surroundings, although the joy she takes in being a mean girl feels wrong. Her aunt Rosaleen is a cleaning, cooking machine but also a control freak, not wanting Tamara to go anywhere or do anything; uncle Arthur is a laconic gardener. Mom, catatonic before, is now sleeping nearly all the time.
Into all this comes the bookmobile, where Tamara finds Marcus (the driver) and strikes up a friendship, and a strange padlocked book. Sister Ignatius, a nun living with three others in the castle grounds, adds to the mystery by insisting that Tamara is a year older than she is and dropping a few cryptic clues into the conversation. Who lives across the road - is it really Rosaleen's invalid mother? What happened to the castle? Why won't anyone get a real doctor in to take care of Mom? All these questions plague Tamara.
The gothic elements are really kept as a light touch, and the ending feels a little rushed given the earlier pace. Still, this will appeal to romance/suspense lovers.
ARC provided by publisher.
This a story of a girl named Tamara who was once spoiled and rich, but with her father's death seems to have now lost it all. When she and her mother relocate to the country, she finds a blank journal which tells her the future, in her own handwriting, one day ahead, one day at a time. But it doesn't tell her everything.
This book reminded me a lot of The Thirteenth Tale, which seemed, at least to me, like a big departure for Cecelia Ahern, but I still liked it.
This book reminded me a lot of The Thirteenth Tale, which seemed, at least to me, like a big departure for Cecelia Ahern, but I still liked it.
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is another reviewer that said this book changed her. I agree.
I don't know what about this book made it so perfect. The writing: excellent. The story: engaging. The characters: everything you want. The ending: surprising yet lovely. The plot twists: (for me) actually twists, I didn't see it all coming. But it wasn't that. That didn't make the book perfect. The feeling I got when reading it, like I was learning to feel, to express, to appreciate things more, that's what did it. I'm old enough that these lessons have been learned time and time again but something about this book, it made me thinking about these things all over again. It sounds kind of sentimental but it wasn't like that. My heart didn't get all smushy, it just grew. Read This Book. You will understand. It was lovely. A complete surprise too, seeing as how I didn't read the back so I had no idea what it was about.
I don't know what about this book made it so perfect. The writing: excellent. The story: engaging. The characters: everything you want. The ending: surprising yet lovely. The plot twists: (for me) actually twists, I didn't see it all coming. But it wasn't that. That didn't make the book perfect. The feeling I got when reading it, like I was learning to feel, to express, to appreciate things more, that's what did it. I'm old enough that these lessons have been learned time and time again but something about this book, it made me thinking about these things all over again. It sounds kind of sentimental but it wasn't like that. My heart didn't get all smushy, it just grew. Read This Book. You will understand. It was lovely. A complete surprise too, seeing as how I didn't read the back so I had no idea what it was about.
The beginning of the story was really dragging in my opinion. The actual book that dictates what would happen the next day was only introduced much later on in the book. And it was never explained how the book supposedly "called out" to Tamara and where the book came from in the first place. All that was said was that the book could help someone change the course of their lives and that was it.
I strongly disliked Tamara in the beginning because the way she narrated her life was like she was given everything in the world and yet she wanted more. Spoiled brats aren't really something I warm up to. Plus, she was so cold to Rosaleen and she didn't have a good reason to be...yet.
Then I started being suspicious of Rosaleen because she was always too chipper yet she hovered and made up stories so that Tamara wouldn't visit her mother. And she was so cold to Arthur and it's either they didn't talk at all or when they did, they fight. Then she made sure that everyone would leave Jennifer alone because apparently her depression is just a normal thing and it will subside eventually. Eventually would be a week or two; it's been a month and there was still no progress. She was doing something to keep Jennifer in her depression, but the question was...what was it?
I began to like the book when Arthur began to talk to Tamara and there were signs that Jennifer was getting better. Then when Tamara realized that Arthur, Rose, Jennifer, and Laurie went way back (as in back to their childhoods), I knew that there was something up with Rosaleen for sure. That was all confirmed when Tamara found the pictures where Jennifer was covered and the pictures that made it clear that Laurence and Jennifer were in love, while Rose had a bad case of unrequited love for Laurie.
Rose was so obsessed with becoming a Kilsaney that she even settled to marry Arthur, the brother who loved her no matter what she did. He always loved her, but she never loved him back. Whereas she loved Laurie, who only needed her to survive after the fire which left him scarred for life in the most literal sense, but never actually wanted her. And even to the end, even after Rose tried to kill Laurie again, Arthur was still by her side when she failed and got hospitalized for it. As Tamara said, she needed to realize how much she meant to Arthur because he would be the only one she'd have left because everyone would turn their backs on her.
The only part that I don't really agree so much on was the fact that more than half of the book was through before Laurie was even introduced. He played a pivotal role in the story and yet he was only mentioned in passing and described as dead. Then we found out only towards the end that he wasn't dead and that Rose was keeping him alive somewhere, similar to a dungeon.
Overall the story was interesting and a tad bit confusing if one wasn't really paying much attention to the little details. This was one of those books that made sure you minded the smallest details, because they would be the pivotal points in the end.
I strongly disliked Tamara in the beginning because the way she narrated her life was like she was given everything in the world and yet she wanted more. Spoiled brats aren't really something I warm up to. Plus, she was so cold to Rosaleen and she didn't have a good reason to be...yet.
Then I started being suspicious of Rosaleen because she was always too chipper yet she hovered and made up stories so that Tamara wouldn't visit her mother. And she was so cold to Arthur and it's either they didn't talk at all or when they did, they fight. Then she made sure that everyone would leave Jennifer alone because apparently her depression is just a normal thing and it will subside eventually. Eventually would be a week or two; it's been a month and there was still no progress. She was doing something to keep Jennifer in her depression, but the question was...what was it?
I began to like the book when Arthur began to talk to Tamara and there were signs that Jennifer was getting better. Then when Tamara realized that Arthur, Rose, Jennifer, and Laurie went way back (as in back to their childhoods), I knew that there was something up with Rosaleen for sure. That was all confirmed when Tamara found the pictures where Jennifer was covered and the pictures that made it clear that Laurence and Jennifer were in love, while Rose had a bad case of unrequited love for Laurie.
Rose was so obsessed with becoming a Kilsaney that she even settled to marry Arthur, the brother who loved her no matter what she did. He always loved her, but she never loved him back. Whereas she loved Laurie, who only needed her to survive after the fire which left him scarred for life in the most literal sense, but never actually wanted her. And even to the end, even after Rose tried to kill Laurie again, Arthur was still by her side when she failed and got hospitalized for it. As Tamara said, she needed to realize how much she meant to Arthur because he would be the only one she'd have left because everyone would turn their backs on her.
The only part that I don't really agree so much on was the fact that more than half of the book was through before Laurie was even introduced. He played a pivotal role in the story and yet he was only mentioned in passing and described as dead. Then we found out only towards the end that he wasn't dead and that Rose was keeping him alive somewhere, similar to a dungeon.
Overall the story was interesting and a tad bit confusing if one wasn't really paying much attention to the little details. This was one of those books that made sure you minded the smallest details, because they would be the pivotal points in the end.
I give this book a two point five out of five. I liked it. It was a tad dramatic, too dramatic, but I liked it. It was sort of interesting. I found out a bit of the plot midway through but I didn't find out the ENTIRE thing, which made the ENTIRE thing a bit exciting yet very shocking. I would have liked if the pace moved a tad faster? I don't know, I feel like all the mess happened in a day. I would have liked MORE tension. I'm weird, I know. Anyhow, done with this one, off to finish The Hours. (I think I preferred Cecelia's other book (something to do with rainbows; forgot the title) albeit that too is a bit of a dramatic one but I read it five years ago and it was good.)